6. Restructuring Of The Nazi Party

Question 1

How did Hitler capitalise on his trial and imprisonments after the Munich putsch ? (4)

Answer 1

• Turned his trial into a great propaganda success for himself and the Nazi cause, turning himself into a national figure
• He won the respect of many other right-wing nationalists for having had the courage to act
• He was sentenced to serve the minimum time in jail (5 years) and only serving 10 months seemed like an act of encouragement on the part of the judiciary
• He used his months in prison to write and to reassess his political strategy (Mein Kampf)

Question 2

Describe Mein Kampf and Hitler’s ideas (7)

Answer 2

• Mein Kampf was dictated by Hitler in 1924 in Landsberg prison and outlined his political ideas
• Social-Darwinism : portrayed the world as a struggle between people, races and nations
• Racism : Hitler seemed it vital to maintain racial purring so that the blood of the weak wouldn’t undermine the strong (Aryan)
• Anti-democracy ; Hitler saw no alternative to a strong dictatorial government
• In place of democracy Hitler wanted an all-embracing-one-Party State that would be run on the Führerprinzip (the leadership principle) which rejected representative government and liberal values
• Nationalism : meant the creation of a Reich to include all those members of the German Volk who lived beyond the frontiers of the Kaiser’s Germany
• Hitler demanded Lebensraum for Germany that would make a Greater Germany, a superpower

Question 3

What is a Volksgemeinschaft

Answer 3

• A people’s community. Nazism stressed the development of a harmonious, socially unified and racially pure community

Question 4

What did Hitler decide in terms of tactics whilst in Landsberg prison? (2)

Answer 4

• He must establish his own absolute control over the Party
• An armed coup was no longer an appropriate tactic and the only sure way to succeed was to work within the Weimar Constitution and to gain power by legal means

Question 5

What problems did the Nazi party face within the party? (3)

Answer 5

• Not everyone agreed with the new policy of legality
• Traditional regional hostilities continued to exist, particularly between the party’s power base in Bavaria and the branches in northern Germany
• Policy differences had got worse between nationalist and anti-capitalist wings of the Party

Question 6

Why was the Bamberg Conference in 1926 crucial to the development of the Nazi movement ? (4)

Answer 6

• It was a significant victory for Hitler as he mobilised sufficient support to re-establish his supremacy
• It cemented the Führerprinzip and there was to be no place for disagreements, thereby ending regional rivalries
• The Party declared the 25 Points Programme as unchangeable
• The Party became more centralised, with Gauleiters (local party leaders) appointed to develop Nazi support across Germany

Question 7

what other organisations were created to support the Nazi party ? (4)

Answer 7

• The Nazi Teachers’ Association
• Hitler Youth
• Union of Nazi Lawyers
• Order of German Women
• SA (1925)

Question 8

Who was Gregor Strasser and why was he important for restructuring the Nazi Party? (5)

Answer 8

• Supporter of the anti-capitalist left-wing socialist faction and member of the Freikorps and then SA leader
• Mainly responsible for building up an efficient Party structure and this was reflected in its increasing membership during years 1925-28
• Excellent Administrator and responsible for building up the mass movement of the party in 1920s and led the NSDAP in northern Germany
• he became a Gauleiter and in 1926 made Reich leader for propaganda until Goebbels took over in 1928. During this time he (together with Otto) founded a Nazi publishing organisation in Berlin called Combat Publishing and helped give the Nazi Party a High propaganda capability
• as a result of his work, membership rose from 27,000 in 1925 to more than 800,000 in 1931

Question 9

How successful were the Nazis in the 1928 elections ?

Answer 9

In May 1928 they won only 2.6% of the popular vote and a mere 12 seats

Question 10

Why was their success limited at this stage?

Answer 10

It seemed as if Hitler’s policy of legality had failed to bring political success. Nazism May have taken root but there was no real sign that it could flourish in Germany

Question 11

What was the role of Josef Goebbels? (6)

Answer 11

• The Nazi party was organised into 35 regions from 1926. Goebbels was the Gauleiter of the Capital Region, Berlin
• he created the newspaper Der Angriff (the attack)
• Became chief of party propaganda in 1930
• He used cleverly worded posters that had a broad appeal and included specific Nazi themes.
• The Nazis made extensive use of newspapers, radio appeals and mass rallies, appealing to the young and impressionable
• As a result by 1927, Nazi Party membership had risen to 72,000 (from 27,000 in 1925) but it was still only able to win 12 seats in the Reichstages in 1928